The head of a group that intends to buy Turf Paradise in Phoenix told the Arizona Racing Commission on Thursday that live racing could start as early as Jan. 13 but that the opening date may have to be delayed depending on paperwork revolving around licensing and complying with national regulations. Richard Moore, who is the majority partner of a group called Turf Paradise Land Trust, told the commissioners that the deal to purchase Turf Paradise is currently “in escrow” but that the licensing process in Arizona has only just been initiated. That process could take months, according to racing officials. Moore also said that he has been told by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority that it may need a 90-day notice prior to the track opening in order to determine if the track is in compliance with its regulations. “There may be a delay,” Moore said. “Racing may not start until February or March depending on how things go as far as vetting and a background investigation.” Moore, who has partnered with a local mining and development businessman, Frank Nickens, on the purchase, emerged as a buyer of the track in late September after a previous deal to buy the track fell apart. The track has been owned for the past 23 years by Jerry Simms, and the relationship between Simms and the track’s horsemen has been deteriorating for years. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Nickens, in an interview in late September just after being identified as one of the principals in the deal, said that the group wanted to “revitalize” live racing at the track, and he said the company was ready to spend $50 million in the next year to refurbish the aging facility and its backside. After the buyer emerged, the Arizona HBPA agreed to extend an existing contract with Turf Paradise allowing the track to import full-card simulcast signals, but that extension ends on Nov. 12. The board of the Arizona HBPA has scheduled a meeting on Friday to vote on whether to extend the agreement until Dec. 31 in light of the new deal. J. Lloyd Yother, the president of the Arizona HBPA, said at the meeting that horsemen have been left “confused” by the recent deal-making surrounding the track. “This has been an exercise in frustration,” Yother said. Despite the lack of horsemen’s approval beyond this Sundy, the Arizona Racing Commission approved Turf Paradise’s request to import simulcast signals through the end of next March, but the commission made that approval contingent on the horsemen’s Friday vote. Turf Paradise has typically conducted a live race meet from November until early May. The track and its horsemen share revenue from betting on simulcasts year-round through a network of OTBs throughout the state. Jason Hart, the Arizona chief state steward, told the commission that he has been regularly visiting Turf Paradise since the beginning of October, and he said that the track’s rail is currently being repaired and that crews have been “seeding and fertilizing the turf course” after repairing the track’s well. Moore told the commission that while conducting due diligence, he talked with Simms about “some things that need be done to bring the track up to par, to make it better, and move [the deal] forward.” As far as the HISA regulations, Simms said that he has been in communication with HISA officials over the past several years and that officials from the authority have told him that they may be able to “fast-track” some approvals, despite requiring a 90-day notice of a live race meet. “They could probably get that done a lot quicker,” Simms said. “They could work on our timeframes.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.